You Asked For It!

Back by popular demand, more fun and adventure. We took a day to go to Depoe Bay and see the Whale Watching Center. We were able to see a whale way, way out. It was pretty neat.

A large monster of disporportionate size is approaching. Watch out, Kaela!Hee, hee, it was just a squirrel. Cute little thing. I'm glad it didn't gouge out our eyes. We heard about these spouting horns and made our way down the wall to find them only to find that they only spout in Winter when it's storming with 125 mile an hour wind. No thanks! I think we're good. However....
We did find something spouting.
There was a cool walkway under Highway 101 that led to the bay.
Who are those crazy crazies?
More crazies.

The walkway led to the smallest harbor in the world, Depoe Bay. I could fit it all in one shot on my camera. I didn't even have to zoom out. It's amazing how still the water is when it reaches the harbor. I now understand the phrase, safe harbor.

A Vacation from a Vacation?

So, I've had a lot of fun posting my vacation photos, but I got the sense that maybe there were just too many. I'd love some feedback if you would like me to keep posting them. I have some more of the whale watching center, Yaquina Head lighthouse and the beach. I so won't be offended if everyone is sick of them, because, well, you can always have too much of a good thing. If I don't get any comments, then I'll just keep posting our current happenings, but if you'd like to see more of Newport, let me know.

Ethan's Birthday Fun

Happy Birthday,
Ethan!

Money, money, money!
Abe, is Ethan's new best friend
This is one happy child.
Ethan said he just knew he was going to get Bionicles, but he didn't know he was going to get a million.
Ok, so, there needs to be some explanation about the cake. The kids and I spent the whole day at my sister's house and she bought a costco-sized cake that we all shared. She cut a piece for Steve to have--a big piece as you can see--and we used that for our party tonight. So, Ethan got to blow out his candles twice; that's why he's smiling so much. Lucky kid!

Ethan is such a smart, energetic boy. He figures out puzzles really well and is an amazing reader. He's very creative and imaginative. He's going to grow up to be a good man and an amazing father.

Eli's Ride

I guess that Eli could not be long outdone by Ethan. He came into the house riding on one of the kids' scooters. I couldn't believe it. He looks so cute puttering around on it.

The Ride of His Life

I'm so excited for Ethan. He came in the house and said, "Mom, I was riding Raechel's bicycle and I could go for a little bit." I was shocked, because he had struggled so much with trying to learn. He just taught himself and it looks like he's been riding forever. Great Job, Ethan!

A Happy Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me! I'm pretty 'fortunate' to have lots of great friends and family to support me. Thanks to all of you that wished me a happy birthday.

Here are some more vacation photos. At the Newport Bayfront area we ate at this cute 50's diner. They had these mini donuts that were to die for. The owners treated our kids to a free scoop of ice cream.
Here's a great shot of the Newport Bridge across Yaquina Bay. It was foggy most of the time we were there.

Swimming With the Fishes

Our biggest outing was to the aquarium. There was a lot to see and do. They had a beauriful exhibit called Oddwater. They had blown glass inside the aquarium tanks and lit it with black light. The effect was, well, illuminating!

Well, I guess we came to the right place. The weird Coreys will fit right in here.

Here we are in all our oddness.
"I shall call you squishy and you shall be my squishy!"

Ok, there's no fish, yeah, yeah, but the glass is so pretty.

Whoa! What kind of fish are those!?! Eliathon, Kaelapicanosa, Ethaniopia. Holy Toledo, these things are huge. They are called the Japanese Spidercrabs. All I could think of is, 'Where is the oil and butter? I need a fork."

Big squishies.
Dare to be different.
Doesn't this starfish look like it's getting a spongebath?
The family all got to touch everything here. The anemone tendrils stick to you when you touch them.The kids were so excited to show me this. Every few minutes a new rush of water comes out and they wanted to scare me. Some stupid kids ratted them out and they were all disappointed. Oh well, it was still pretty cool.

Eli is watching the waterbirds. We saw common Muirs and Puffins.
We got to see them feed the birds. They dove down to get the little fishes. It was great.
Such a pretty bird, I mean girl.
Puffins are incredible seabirds. Not only are they beautiful with bright, yellow-orange beaks and wild tufts flowing from the crown of their heads, but they can hold their breath under water for almost 5 minutes. There is also this really great breakfast cereal named after them. Tasty!

More to See...

We were able to see the seals being fed.

"Sorry, little guy, you missed the feast."Doesn't he look like a statue? Kaela had so much fun watching them dive into the water.
The kids just couldn't get enough of them.Awww, the harbor seal gave Eli a kiss. The sea otters are so cuddly, cute.

Starring, Ethan, in 20,000 leagues under the sea. Co-star, Raechel, in her role as the Little Mermaid. Umm, where's my trailer. Is this shoot catered? No autographs, please. I'm unarmed. Don't shoot.
I'm sure we would give Jaws a lot of heart burn. They had a shark tube that you walk through. The sharks are on top of you, under you and surrounding you. Totally, awesome. We liked this exhibit the best.

Scarry shark. I don't know which one is scarier in this one.
I love how you pay so much money to go somewhere and all you're kids want to do is play in the play area. We couldn't have gone to a park and saved some money.


"You're on the EAC, dude." (for all you nemo fans.)
This picture sums up how we felt when we were done.

Another fun-filled day! I wonder what's next?